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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — ground
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — to come down
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — finally
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. land — a country
  21. key — in music
  22. last — final
  23. pass — a permit
  24. key — the most important part

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