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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. season — of the year
  3. key — in music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stand — to bear
  9. key — for a lock
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — to come down
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. season — in sport
  22. land — ground
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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