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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. object — an aim
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. net — for catching
  17. object — a thing
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bass — low 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