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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — a box
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — 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