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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: ruler · land · key · bore · racket · cold · wake · chest

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — not warm
  4. land — ground
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — a country
  12. chest — a box
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — in music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — to come down
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ruler — a monarch

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