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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: court · wave · racket · object · key · mine · saw · pitcher

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. object — a thing
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. object — an aim
  7. court — for sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. object — to protest
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — for digging
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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