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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: cabinet · bat · mouse · key · wave · chest · ball · deal

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. key — in music
  24. bat — for baseball

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