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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — a song
  3. bass — low music
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bass — the fish
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. sharp — clever
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spring — of water
  15. track — to keep track
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. key — in music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spring — a coil
  21. track — a path
  22. key — for a lock
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spring — the season

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