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

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. clip — for paper
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. key — the most important part
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. clip — to cut
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. key — in music
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. snap — to click
  16. clip — a video
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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