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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mine — for digging
  10. key — in music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — hasty
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — the season
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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