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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 120 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: board · key · clip · hand · kid · ground · ball · pass

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — for paper
  3. key — in music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — to cut
  9. board — a committee
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ground — a position
  13. kid — child
  14. board — to get on
  15. hand — help
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ball — a great time
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hand — part of the body

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