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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fork — in a road
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. key — for a lock
  8. craft — a skill
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. craft — boats
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a hat
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. plane — a tool

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