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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. pop — music
  8. ground — crushed
  9. clip — a video
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pop — to visit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — a position
  18. pop — soda

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