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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mug — a cup
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. key — for a lock
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — a face

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