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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. race — the arms race
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bore — to drill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. key — the most important part
  19. race — a contest
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — humankind
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. key — in music

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