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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — completely
  8. perch — the fish
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — a video
  19. stand — to bear
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitch — a sports field

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