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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pop — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pop — soda
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. squash — to crush
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pop — to visit
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — the sport
  22. capital — money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — the most important part

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