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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ball — a dance
  9. last — to go on
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — in music
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rest — a break
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ball — a great time
  21. last — final
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. last — finally
  24. net — for catching

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