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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 116 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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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: kid · chair · mate · band · safe · bass · fall · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. band — a ring
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kid — to tease
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fall — the season
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — child
  24. safe — a strongbox

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