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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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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: season · ball · bat · cabinet · mark · game · plane · land

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. land — to come down
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. land — ground
  18. season — of the year
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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