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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cold — not warm
  5. charge — a price
  6. march — music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ball — a dance
  10. net — after costs
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bass — low music
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — in control
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. march — the month
  22. net — for catching
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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