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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bass — low music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. key — for a lock
  9. file — a document
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rush — hurry
  15. court — of a king
  16. key — in music
  17. stock — shares
  18. file — a tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — goods
  23. file — a line of people
  24. key — the most important part

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