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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · bear · cold · mug · game · saw · bowl · bass

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mug — a face
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. game — a match
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bass — low music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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