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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rest — a break
  4. ball — a dance
  5. key — in music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a match
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mate — a friend
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ball — a great time

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