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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: pop · ground · club · key · stick · bore · kid · present

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. present — there
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pop — music
  8. key — in music
  9. club — for golf
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pop — soda
  12. club — for dancing
  13. kid — child
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ground — a position
  18. present — the time now
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — a group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — to visit
  24. present — a gift

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