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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. spring — the season
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. drill — army training
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — a match
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spring — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — the most important part
  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