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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.

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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: key · pitcher · fork · bowl · racket · kid · bulb · hand

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. key — for a lock
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fork — in a road
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. kid — child
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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