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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 a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — for a lock
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. key — the most important part
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — a video
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bound — certain
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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