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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: pound · ball · key · rest · bay · present · cold · chest

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. present — the time now
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — a break
  22. chest — a box
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ball — a dance

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