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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chair — a leader
  3. key — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — a hat
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. land — a country
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. land — ground
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cap — of ice
  20. roll — a list
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. roll — a cake
  23. land — to come down
  24. key — the most important part

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