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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — to tease
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. key — for a lock
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — a series
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chair — a leader
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kid — child
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rash — hasty

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