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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. key — for a lock
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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