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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — the most important part
  5. object — to protest
  6. file — a line of people
  7. face — to confront
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. last — to go on
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — an aim
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. object — a thing
  16. key — in music
  17. kid — child
  18. key — for a lock
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. racket — for tennis

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