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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fine — high quality
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fork — in a road
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — to trim
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. march — music
  20. fine — all right
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. key — in 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