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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 124 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. key — for a lock
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bore — to tire
  12. track — a song
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. swing — to play on
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. capital — a city
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. swing — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. swing — in golf
  23. track — a path
  24. mine — an explosive

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