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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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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: ball · stick · cap · club · drill · spell · key · rule

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. club — a group
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — a lid
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — a short time
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — a hat
  12. key — in music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rule — a law
  16. spell — magic
  17. drill — army training
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. club — for golf
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ball — a great time
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cap — of ice

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