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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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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: clip · racket · rest · wind · squash · key · craft · cap

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — the most important part
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wind — moving air
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cap — of ice
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. squash — to crush
  21. clip — to cut
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — a video
  24. craft — boats

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