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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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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: track · mate · ruler · key · current · bore · cold · fork

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — not warm
  3. key — in music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fork — in a road
  7. track — a path
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. track — a song
  12. current — of water
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — happening now
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mate — a friend
  24. track — to keep track

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