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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — a line
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — happy
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kick — in football
  18. key — in music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — to come from
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — a series
  24. content — the amount

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