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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. swing — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — a face
  19. key — for a lock
  20. swing — to play on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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