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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. key — in music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. key — for a lock
  5. track — a song
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. file — a tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. season — of the year
  13. file — a document
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lean — thin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bass — low music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a path

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