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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 116 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.

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: kid · key · land · season · firm · cabinet · perch · bat

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — decided
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. land — to come down
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — ground
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kid — child
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. land — a country
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. firm — steady
  21. key — for a lock
  22. perch — the fish
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — for baseball

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