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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. swing — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. swing — to play on
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — for tennis

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