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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ground — a position
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bear — the animal

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