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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: wind · ball · sharp · key · cap · plane · club · lash

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. club — for golf
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. club — a group
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. key — for a lock
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. key — in music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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