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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pound — a weight
  4. net — after costs
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pop — soda
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. key — in music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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