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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stem — to come from
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. key — in music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ground — a position
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ruler — for measuring

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