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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — in music
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bass — low music
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — the season
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fine — all right
  21. tear — to rip
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — army training

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