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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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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: cold · key · present · racket · deal · fine · bark · wound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bark — to shout
  4. key — in music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cold — an illness
  7. key — the most important part
  8. present — there
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. present — a gift
  17. fine — high quality
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — the time now
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — an injury

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