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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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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of law
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. key — the most important part
  9. face — to point toward
  10. race — a contest
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — for sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — to confront
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. race — humankind
  24. racket — a loud noise

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