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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. row — a line
  3. chair — a leader
  4. degree — temperature
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. lean — thin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. key — for a lock
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. degree — an amount
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. row — to paddle
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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