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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. field — for sport
  5. game — a match
  6. key — in music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bass — the fish
  13. board — to get on
  14. field — a subject
  15. content — the amount
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. field — farmland
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. board — a committee
  22. key — the most important part
  23. content — happy
  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