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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: row · bulb · hand · key · last · mug · bat · shower

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — rain
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hand — help
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — the most important part
  15. row — to paddle
  16. last — finally
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — final
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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