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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 · ball · suit · hand · kid · trunk · season · pitch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. suit — to fit
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kid — child
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. key — in music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hand — help
  21. season — of the year
  22. suit — in cards
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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