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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — for sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. hand — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. track — a path
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. track — a song
  24. key — the most important part

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