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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: cabinet · hide · bat · shower · current · mark · lash · key

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — of water
  18. mark — a grade
  19. current — happening now
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. current — electric
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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