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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. key — in music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bass — low music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pop — soda
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — to visit
  22. field — farmland
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bat — in an idiom

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