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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. content — the amount
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. key — the most important part
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. object — to protest
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. net — after costs
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. swing — music
  17. net — for catching
  18. swing — to play on
  19. key — in music
  20. content — happy
  21. key — for a lock
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — in golf

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