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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · temple · board · field · key · wind · bulb · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. board — to get on
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ball — a great time
  6. field — a subject
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — in music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bulb — for light
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. board — a committee
  15. field — farmland
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ball — a round shape

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