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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 · wind · game · trunk · ball · snap · drill · ground

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ball — a great time
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ground — a position
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to click
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — in music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — for a lock
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a match

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