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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.

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: spell · racket · key · wind · staff · wound · lean · hand

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. key — the most important part
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. key — in music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lean — thin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. lean — to bend
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — for a lock

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