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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bore — to tire
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. charge — in control
  12. file — a tool
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — a price
  16. file — a document
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chip — for betting
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — help
  21. race — humankind
  22. key — in music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. object — a thing

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