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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. present — there
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. present — a gift
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — after costs
  13. band — a ring
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — low music
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a cake
  19. key — the most important part
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — in music

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