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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: foot · lash · ground · wake · bat · key · spell · date

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. ground — crushed
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — magic
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. spell — letters
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. key — in music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. date — the fruit
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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