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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — in music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bass — low music
  6. firm — decided
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cell — a phone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. firm — a company
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — for a lock
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — the fish
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — in biology

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