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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.

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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: pit · bulb · key · bat · hand · pass · snap · straw

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — in music
  5. hand — help
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bulb — for light
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. snap — to click

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