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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — the amount
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chip — to eat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — in music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — happy
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. content — videos and posts

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