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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bass — the fish
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — of water
  17. key — for a lock
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spring — a coil
  22. can — a tin
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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