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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. key — for a lock
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. object — a thing
  6. firm — a company
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. key — in music
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. season — in sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pop — music
  24. key — the most important part

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