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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: fan · game · bat · mug · club · key · bowl · last

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mug — a face
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for dancing
  10. last — finally
  11. bat — the animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. last — final
  14. mug — to rob
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. key — in music
  18. last — to go on
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a match
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — wild animals

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