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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: face · roll · ball · rule · stick · key · kid · game

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. game — a match
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — in music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a great time
  11. roll — a list
  12. key — for a lock
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. face — to confront
  15. rule — a law
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kid — child
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rule — government
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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