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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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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 · last · cabinet · fall · kid · temple · key · wound

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a great time
  6. key — in music
  7. kid — child
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — finally
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — final
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fall — the season
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — to go on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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