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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bass — low music
  3. season — in sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the fish
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — a box
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to click
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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