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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — the fish
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — for catching
  6. bat — the animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — low music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rock — music
  17. net — in sport
  18. toast — bread
  19. band — a music group
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. net — after costs
  24. bass — the instrument

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