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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. key — in music
  3. bass — low music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — a box
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — final
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. plane — a tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — finally
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — to grow

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