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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. key — in music
  14. ground — a position
  15. fine — all right
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rash — a series
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. racket — for tennis

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