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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: last · key · mug · leaves · stick · bowl · club · squash

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. last — final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a cup
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mug — a face
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — a group
  10. mug — to rob
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. key — in music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — to go on
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — finally
  24. club — for dancing

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