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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · saw · staff · march · chest · bass · present · lash

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. present — there
  4. march — the month
  5. key — in music
  6. present — the time now
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. present — a gift
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bass — low music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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