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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — for catching
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a music group
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. key — in music
  10. net — after costs
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. net — in sport

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