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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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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: fall · bank · cold · key · rock · ball · squash · last

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bank — for money
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fall — to drop
  7. key — the most important part
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bank — of a river
  14. key — in music
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a great time
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a dance
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — 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