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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. row — a line
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bass — low music
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. key — in music
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bass — the fish
  14. key — for a lock
  15. season — in sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitch — completely
  19. row — to paddle
  20. face — to point toward
  21. object — an aim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — to protest
  24. season — of the year

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