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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: kid · bore · fan · fork · pitcher · rush · content · key

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — in music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. content — the amount
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — hurry
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. content — happy
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — child

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