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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: bay · club · ball · pit · season · chest · key · fall

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — a group
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chest — of your body

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