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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. key — for a lock
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bass — low music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. track — a song
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pop — music
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pop — soda

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