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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. key — for a lock
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. firm — a company
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — in sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — after costs
  17. key — in music
  18. firm — steady
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — for catching
  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