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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. object — an aim
  3. chest — of your body
  4. march — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chest — a box
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bore — to drill
  15. object — to protest
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. key — in music
  22. march — the month
  23. object — a thing
  24. key — for a lock

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