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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — the fish
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. net — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. toast — bread
  10. mate — to breed
  11. staff — a stick
  12. net — for catching
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — the most important part
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. key — for a lock
  20. net — after costs
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — the instrument

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