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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: hand · key · lean · pit · racket · ball · object · cold

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — help
  3. key — for a lock
  4. object — to protest
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lean — thin
  16. key — in music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. key — the most important part
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ball — a dance
  23. object — an aim
  24. pit — a hole

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