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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — in sport
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — money
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. dip — to sink
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — for catching
  20. capital — a city
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. key — for a lock

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