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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bass — low music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — a country
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — ground
  10. cell — in biology
  11. key — for a lock
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. land — to come down
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cell — a phone
  19. staff — a stick
  20. key — in music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. staff — employees

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