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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: key · mouse · firm · bass · game · trunk · pop · shower

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — low music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. firm — a company
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. firm — steady
  12. shower — to wash
  13. firm — decided
  14. pop — to visit
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. key — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pop — music
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pop — soda

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