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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — a container
  4. march — music
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spell — magic
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — letters
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. suit — in cards
  17. key — for a lock
  18. suit — to fit
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — in music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. court — for sport
  24. bat — the animal

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