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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · rash · mouse · lash · bowl · key · wake

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. key — in music
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — a series
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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