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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: pit · cell · craft · fan · shower · key · bound · bat

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pit — in a race
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — a hole
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — boats
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cell — a phone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. key — for a lock
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — in a prison

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