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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stand — to bear
  7. key — in music
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. clip — a video
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bound — tied together
  17. key — for a lock
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. foot — a measure
  23. key — the most important part
  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