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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. key — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — music
  24. hide — animal skin

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