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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: ball · hand · pass · cabinet · key · game · racket · track

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a dance
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. game — a match
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. track — a path
  14. ball — a great time
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. track — a song
  18. key — in music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. hand — in cards
  22. track — to keep track
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — wild animals

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