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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rock — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. key — for a lock
  5. net — for catching
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bass — low music
  9. key — in music
  10. net — in sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. band — a music group
  13. roll — a list
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. suit — in cards

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