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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rest — what's left
  6. key — in music
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. craft — a skill
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bass — low music
  13. file — a document
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — of the year
  18. craft — boats
  19. net — for catching
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. net — in sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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