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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
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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: ball · key · chest · mate · spring · bowl · wound · bat

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. key — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — of water
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a partner
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chest — a box
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mate — to breed

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