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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — for digging
  7. key — for a lock
  8. season — in sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spell — a short time
  11. key — in music
  12. spell — letters
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. firm — a company
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. foot — a measure
  21. firm — steady
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. firm — decided

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