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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pit — in a race
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — a weight
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. current — electric
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. current — of water
  19. pit — a hole
  20. current — happening now
  21. clip — a video
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — for paper

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