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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. object — to protest
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to click
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mug — a cup
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. object — a thing
  12. bass — low music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — the fish
  18. object — an aim
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ground — a position
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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