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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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468
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. key — in music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a document
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. key — for a lock

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