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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: key · cue · bat · shower · ball · suit · toast · kid

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ball — a dance
  4. kid — to tease
  5. shower — to wash
  6. suit — clothes
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — rain
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bat — the animal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. suit — to fit
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cue — a signal
  19. toast — bread
  20. cue — for pool
  21. key — in music
  22. suit — in cards
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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