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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 124 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. key — the most important part
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. key — in music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — for catching
  9. swing — to play on
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — final
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — to rip
  18. swing — in golf
  19. key — for a lock
  20. swing — music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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