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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. key — in music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — boats
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — low music
  16. tube — a container
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. craft — a skill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — in a tire

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