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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. key — the most important part
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hand — help
  7. rest — a break
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — in music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — letters
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — what's left
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — side of the head

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