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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.

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: tear · hand · jam · key · racket · clip · dip · squash

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — to rip
  6. squash — the sport
  7. key — in music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hand — in cards
  12. clip — for paper
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — help
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. clip — to cut
  24. racket — for tennis

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