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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: squash · swing · lash · bark · bat · mark · key · degree

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. swing — to play on
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. swing — music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bark — to shout
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. swing — in golf
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mark — a grade

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