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

Word bank: stick · fork · wind · bass · bound · swing · key · race

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — tied together
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — in music
  18. bound — certain
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bass — low music
  23. bound — obliged
  24. swing — music

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