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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: hand · lash · club · bat · net · band · bound · key

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — in music
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — for catching
  14. bat — the animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — after costs
  23. band — a music group
  24. club — a group

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