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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. key — the most important part
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a document
  12. rash — a series
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — in music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. lash — to lash out

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