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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. bass — low music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. key — in music
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. season — of the year
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. branch — a division
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. season — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — after costs
  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