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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mate — to breed
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. deal — to handle
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — clever
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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