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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chip — for betting
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chip — to eat
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. key — the most important part
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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