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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — final
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. key — for a lock
  9. swing — to play on
  10. land — a country
  11. fine — all right
  12. swing — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — an aim
  15. land — to come down
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. last — finally
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — in golf

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