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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ground — a position
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ground — the earth
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. last — to go on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitch — completely

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