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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — to rip
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. key — in music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. swing — music
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — the most important part
  14. swing — in golf
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bass — the fish
  17. can — to be able to
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. key — for a lock
  21. game — a match
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tear — from crying

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