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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.

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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. key — in music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bat — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — government
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rule — a law
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rash — a series
  13. club — a group
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kid — to tease
  19. club — for golf
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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