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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 · branch · net · bat · lie · ball · date · stick

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lie — to recline
  5. key — in music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. net — after costs
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — for a lock
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — for catching

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