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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a document
  5. rock — music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. content — happy
  12. file — a tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — the amount
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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