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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bass — low music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — hasty
  8. key — the most important part
  9. object — an aim
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — the fish
  12. object — a thing
  13. suit — to fit
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. key — in music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. march — music
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rash — a series
  24. hide — to keep secret

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