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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · squash · hand · last · key · bass · bay · calf

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. key — for a lock
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ground — crushed
  15. key — in music
  16. last — final
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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