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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: key · hide · kid · bay · scale · bore

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kid — child
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. key — in music
  12. scale — in music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — size or range
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. hide — to keep secret

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