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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. last — finally
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — in music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — employees
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. track — a path
  18. staff — employees
  19. bass — the fish
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. key — the most important part
  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