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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ball — a great time
  7. key — the most important part
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bass — the fish
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a song
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a music group
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — in music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. band — a ring

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