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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. plane — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — a group
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — in music
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. club — for golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — of law
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. court — of a king
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com