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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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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: bass · tear · snap · court · key · track · bat · rash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rash — a series
  3. key — for a lock
  4. track — a song
  5. tear — to rip
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. track — a path
  9. tear — from crying
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bass — low music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — of a king
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — in music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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