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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. squash — the sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tube — a container
  22. key — in music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wave — with your hand

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