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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — child
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kid — to tease
  10. key — in music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. present — the time now
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kick — in football
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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