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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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Word bank
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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. roll — a list
  21. ball — a great time
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chest — a box
  24. key — for a lock

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