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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: bat · fan · spring · kick · key · pitcher · jam · lash

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spring — a coil
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. spring — of water
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — the season
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — in football

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