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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. key — in music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bass — the fish
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. key — for a lock
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. charge — in control
  24. pound — a weight

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