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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 · mate · racket · wind · fine · staff · object · chest

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — to breed
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — a box
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — a stick
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. object — a thing
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. staff — employees

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