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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. key — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — to tease
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. deal — to handle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — child
  24. bore — gave birth

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