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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — a container
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — the underground
  6. sharp — clever
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. key — the most important part
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — the animal
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. snap — to click
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — in music
  24. racket — a loud noise

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