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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bass — low music
  4. fall — the season
  5. last — to go on
  6. lie — to recline
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — in music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. key — for a lock

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