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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — the fish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — in music
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. key — the most important part
  16. content — happy
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. content — the amount
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — for weighing

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