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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. band — a ring
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — the season
  9. band — a music group
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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