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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chip — to eat
  6. capital — money
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — for a lock
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hand — in cards
  20. capital — a city
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hand — help

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