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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.

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 · clip · fine · spell · pitch · mate · rest · bass

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. key — in music
  7. spell — magic
  8. rest — a break
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — a video
  15. spell — letters
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bass — the instrument

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