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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: key · kid · patient · bore · fall · pop · sharp · face

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bore — to tire
  11. face — to confront
  12. bore — to drill
  13. key — in music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — for a lock
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — soda

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