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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mine — for digging
  3. key — the most important part
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — for a lock
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. game — wild animals
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. game — a match
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. key — in music
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — a loud noise

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