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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 120 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: key · racket · game · mug · cell · stand · pound · mate

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stand — to bear
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — a partner
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — in music
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — a weight

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