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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — child
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lean — to bend
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. key — in music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. lean — thin
  20. key — for a lock
  21. club — for golf
  22. bark — to shout
  23. swing — in golf
  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