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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — an injury
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mark — a grade
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — of law
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — for sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — in music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — of a king

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