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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.

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: mine · sharp · swing · bass · wind · file · key · last

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — to go on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bass — low music
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — final
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — clever
  23. swing — music
  24. sharp — exactly

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