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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.

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: bowl · bat · key · roll · rock · stick · game · mine

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bat — the animal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rock — a stone
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rock — music
  20. roll — a list
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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