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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: bat · present · last · key · shower · spring · club · craft

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. key — in music
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — there
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — a skill
  8. club — for golf
  9. present — the time now
  10. club — for dancing
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — boats
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bat — the animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. club — a group
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — final
  21. key — for a lock
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — a gift

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