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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. scale — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fall — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. clip — to cut
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bank — for money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — a video
  20. band — a ring
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a music group

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