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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. game — a match
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — the most important part
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — a break
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — wild animals
  22. degree — temperature
  23. key — in music
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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