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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: key · mark · wave · racket · wind · bat · nail · fine

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fine — all right
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. key — in music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mark — a grade
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. key — for a lock
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fine — high quality
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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