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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: ground · game · rush · spell · key · bass · wound · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — in music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spell — magic
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spell — letters
  16. game — a match
  17. key — the most important part
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wound — an injury

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