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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ball — a dance
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. press — newspapers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a document
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — the most important part
  14. press — to push
  15. key — in music
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — low music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bass — the fish
  23. press — a publisher
  24. straw — a straw man

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