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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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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — a gift
  5. pop — to visit
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. key — for a lock
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. kid — child
  16. present — there
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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