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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — clever
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. band — a ring
  21. face — to point toward
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. face — to confront

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