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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · bore · key · rule · pop · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pop — music
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. key — in music
  15. rule — a law
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out

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