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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. key — in music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — after costs
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. present — there
  12. net — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. key — the most important part
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — low music
  17. present — a gift
  18. cold — an illness
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. present — the time now
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. net — for catching
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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