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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for dancing
  3. key — in music
  4. craft — boats
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. key — for a lock
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — music
  21. game — a match
  22. key — the most important part
  23. craft — a skill
  24. club — a group

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