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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. key — in music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bore — to tire
  11. root — the cause
  12. chest — a box
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — a break
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. chest — of your body
  22. track — a path
  23. key — the most important part
  24. drill — a practice

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