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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kid — child
  5. key — in music
  6. land — ground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — a break
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bass — low music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. land — a country
  18. march — music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. land — to come down

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