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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · chair · pop · squash · chest · foot · bore · key

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. squash — to crush
  13. key — for a lock
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chest — a box
  16. key — in music
  17. pop — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — army training

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