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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rule — government
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. capital — money
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. key — the most important part
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — in music
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bass — low music

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