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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: roll · bat · pop · fall · staff · deal · march · key

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — for a lock
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — the most important part
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — in music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pop — music
  15. roll — a list
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. fall — to drop

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