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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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Word bank
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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. snap — to click
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. key — for a lock
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rock — a stone
  10. craft — boats
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rock — music
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. key — the most important part

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