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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. root — the cause
  4. firm — decided
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stand — to bear
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — help
  11. firm — a company
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. firm — steady
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — in music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. root — of a word
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a tool

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