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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: bat · foot · cold · ball · bulb · key · mug · firm

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. firm — a company
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ball — a dance
  10. firm — steady
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mug — a face
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — the most important part
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. firm — decided
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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