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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. charge — electricity
  6. root — of a plant
  7. net — in sport
  8. key — in music
  9. root — of a word
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. ball — a dance
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tear — to rip
  16. root — the cause
  17. net — after costs
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — help
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — in control
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a great time

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