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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: key · dip · can · hand · rush · squash · bat · net

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. net — after costs
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. can — a tin
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — for catching
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — the animal
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — the most important part
  13. can — a tin
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. squash — the sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — in cards
  23. net — in sport
  24. rush — to hurry

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