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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bass — the fish
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. plane — a tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — in music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. trunk — of a car

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