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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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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: bark · racket · file · scale · key · hand · ball · lean

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lean — thin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ball — a great time
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. file — a tool
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ball — a round shape

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