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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. shower — rain
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — of water
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spring — the season
  15. scale — size or range
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bore — to tire
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. key — the most important part

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