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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ball — a great time
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. spell — magic
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. file — a tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — for golf
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. file — a document
  24. bat — for baseball

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