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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. drill — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rest — a break
  5. ball — a great time
  6. present — the time now
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — a gift
  10. club — for golf
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. present — there
  14. club — a group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — for a lock
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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