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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. drill — a practice
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — army training
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. club — a group
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. drill — the tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cell — in biology
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bass — low music
  24. key — in 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