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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. key — in music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mouse — for a computer

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