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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. key — the most important part
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. swing — music
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — for catching
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — to play on
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. tear — to rip

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