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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bass — low music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a face
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — of ice
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cap — a lid
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a hat
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mug — a cup

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