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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. scale — in music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. degree — an amount
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. can — to be able to
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. scale — size or range
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — temperature
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. can — a tin

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