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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. game — a match
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bat — the animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cue — a hint
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cue — a signal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. key — in music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. squash — to crush
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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