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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rule — a law
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bass — low music
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — the most important part
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — soda
  21. key — in music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tear — from crying

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