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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · key · ground · lash · bat · mate · fan · content

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ground — a position
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — happy
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. content — the amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bat — the animal

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