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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. key — in music
  5. land — ground
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — to rip
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bore — to drill
  15. land — to come down
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — the most important part
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bore — to tire
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — a country

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