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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chair — a leader
  7. object — a thing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pop — soda
  10. row — to paddle
  11. object — to protest
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. net — for catching
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — to visit
  20. net — after costs
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pass — a permit
  23. net — in sport
  24. pop — music

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