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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — to go on
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wake — a trail
  5. last — finally
  6. key — the most important part
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hand — in cards
  10. charge — in control
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — wild animals
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. last — final
  21. game — a match
  22. key — in music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. racket — for tennis

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