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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — low music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. key — in music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — with an edge

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