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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pop — music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — the most important part
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — soda
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pop — to visit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — in music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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