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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: bore · march · swing · ruler · key · track · squash · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. key — for a lock
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. squash — the sport
  6. track — a song
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — a path
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. squash — to crush
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — child
  14. track — to keep track
  15. key — in music
  16. march — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. key — the most important part

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