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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — low music
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. court — of a king
  9. key — in music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. court — of law
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — for sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. staff — employees

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