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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. key — for a lock
  4. net — in sport
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kid — to tease
  11. net — for catching
  12. key — in music
  13. court — of a king
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. court — for sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kid — child

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