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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bound — tied together
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bound — certain
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. game — a match
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bass — the fish
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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