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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bass — low music

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