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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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 — for a lock
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. key — in music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — a line
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — to confront

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