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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: cell · stand · lie · bat · season · capital · ball · key

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cell — in biology
  4. key — in music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ball — a great time
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. season — in sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. capital — a city
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bat — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. season — of the year
  24. key — the most important part

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