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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — letters
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. key — for a lock
  5. tear — to rip
  6. key — the most important part
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — magic
  9. stock — shares
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tear — from crying
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — goods
  15. spell — a short time
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — in football
  19. key — in music
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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