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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to click
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. cap — a hat
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. arm — part of the body

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