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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · key · cold · craft · ball · game · wave · lie

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a match
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. key — in music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mark — a grade
  23. craft — a skill
  24. key — for a lock

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