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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. key — for a lock
  5. squash — to crush
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kid — child
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. key — in music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. squash — the sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. snap — to click
  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