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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — finally
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — a box
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. suit — to fit
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. key — in music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — final
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. key — for a lock
  21. suit — in cards
  22. last — to go on
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bat — the animal

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