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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: ball · key · bat · pop · wound · bear · swing · track

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. key — in music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. swing — music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ball — a dance
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bat — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. key — for a lock
  20. track — a path
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pop — soda

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