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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: date · lie · can · bore · key · nail · cold · season

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. key — for a lock
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — a tin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. can — a tin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — in sport
  15. key — in music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — to recline
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — the most important part
  24. nail — for a hammer

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