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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · pound · fan · hide · trunk · key · rest · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — for a lock
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — in music
  11. land — to come down
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — ground
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pound — to hit hard

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