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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — the month
  4. face — to point toward
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. face — to confront
  9. key — for a lock
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. face — part of the head
  16. march — music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pass — a permit
  19. key — in music
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. dip — to sink
  24. march — the month

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