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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — in music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. face — part of the head
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pit — a hole
  9. court — for sport
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bank — of a river
  12. court — of a king
  13. face — to confront
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. plane — a tool
  20. court — of law
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bank — for money
  23. pit — in a race
  24. face — to point toward

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