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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: key · craft · bat · court · march · face · ball · bass

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — in music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. court — of law
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — for sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bass — low music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. face — to confront
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — music
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ball — a great time
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. court — of a king

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