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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — in music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bass — the fish
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mark — a grade
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bass — low music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. deal — to handle
  24. land — to come down

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