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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. key — in music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. swing — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. swing — in golf
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hand — help
  24. net — in sport

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