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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — low music
  6. stock — shares
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bass — the fish
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — goods
  17. bound — obliged
  18. last — final
  19. bound — certain
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — tied together

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