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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. key — the most important part
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — in music
  24. tear — from crying

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