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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. chair — a leader
  8. key — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. row — a line

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