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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. key — in music
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — a hat
  5. key — for a lock
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cap — a lid
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. last — to go on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — a container
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. last — finally
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — final
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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