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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with 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 — low music
  2. key — in music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. net — in sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tube — a container
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mine — for digging
  23. clip — for paper
  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