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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. key — for a lock
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — in sport
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. tear — from crying
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — in music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bowl — a football final

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