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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: ruler · ball · hide · cold · bay · key · last · jam

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. last — to go on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. key — in music
  13. last — final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. ball — a great time
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — finally

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