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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 120 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: cell · key · bass · pound · wake · sharp · stand · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bass — low music
  3. key — in music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — to breed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stand — to bear
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stand — on your feet

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