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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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