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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · track · key · cold · staff · squash · firm

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. track — a song
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. key — the most important part
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — decided
  12. track — a path
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. firm — steady
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — for a lock
  21. staff — employees
  22. squash — the sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — in music

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