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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. content — happy
  6. key — in music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — to go on
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — a break
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. last — final
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. last — finally
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rest — what's left

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