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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — a permit
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. season — of the year
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — for a lock
  23. content — happy
  24. season — in sport

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