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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. key — in music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. capital — money
  12. key — the most important part
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of law
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — for betting
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bass — the fish

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