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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stem — to come from
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ball — a dance
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. track — a song
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. roll — a list
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — a path
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. roll — a cake
  22. staff — employees
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. key — in music

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