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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a tool
  6. fine — high quality
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — a break
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fine — all right
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. deal — to handle

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