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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a great time
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — in music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mine — for digging
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. tube — a container
  24. fine — a penalty

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