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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · ball · key · game · foot · chair · pop · snap

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pop — music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. key — in music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — soda
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to click
  24. foot — the bottom

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