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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — humankind
  9. shower — rain
  10. race — the arms race
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. race — a contest
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. key — in music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to click

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