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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mug — a face
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mine — for digging
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cap — of ice
  23. march — the month
  24. march — 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