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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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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: bowl · last · key · object · hand · pitcher

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — help
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hand — in cards
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. key — for a lock
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — final
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. object — a thing

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