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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chest — a box
  4. key — in music
  5. file — a tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. object — an aim
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. file — a document
  10. craft — boats
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bass — low music
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitch — completely
  21. file — a line of people
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wake — a trail

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