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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. key — the most important part
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — all right
  5. key — in music
  6. rash — a series
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — the amount
  20. squash — to crush
  21. file — a line of people
  22. content — happy
  23. file — a document
  24. rash — hasty

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