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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: racket · leaves · file · bay · lash · key · snap · drill

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. key — the most important part
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — the tool
  14. key — in music
  15. file — a document
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. file — a tool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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