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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: racket · bass · safe · stick · chest · band · key · rash

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. bass — low music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. key — for a lock
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chest — a box
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. key — in music
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rash — on the skin

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