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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. key — in music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — the most important part
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bass — low music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — to handle

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