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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fine — all right
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — low music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — in music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bass — the fish
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — to put up with

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