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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: spell · key · wind · net · bat · chip · mate · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. key — in music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. spell — letters
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — in sport
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spell — magic
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chip — for betting
  20. net — after costs
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. key — for a lock
  24. shower — to wash

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