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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bass — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. key — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bass — low music
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bark — to shout
  21. key — for a lock
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — of a tree

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