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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. last — final
  6. wake — a trail
  7. drill — the tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — crushed
  15. drill — army training
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. drill — a practice
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. arm — a part of something

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