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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. key — for a lock
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fine — all right
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. key — in music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bass — low music
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wind — moving air
  23. toast — bread
  24. fan — a supporter

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