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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: bat · ball · key · leaves · club · racket · fork · shower

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ball — a dance
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — a group
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — in music
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fork — in a road
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. shower — rain
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for golf
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. key — for a lock

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