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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — in music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mug — to rob
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bass — low music
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a ring
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. key — for a lock
  24. band — a music group

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