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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 · mouse · wind · ball · last · key · face · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — in music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rule — government
  14. last — final
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — to point toward
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bat — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. ball — a round shape

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