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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bound — certain
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. court — of law
  24. straw — a straw man

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