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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.

Make a worksheet

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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. key — in music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bat — the animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — a face
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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