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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: wind · squash · racket · saw · key · spell · court · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of law
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. squash — to crush
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mate — a partner
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — of a king
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — a short time
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — for a lock
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — to breed
  22. key — in music
  23. spell — magic
  24. court — for sport

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