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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — in music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — to tease
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. field — farmland
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. last — final
  17. bass — low music
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. kid — child

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