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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mark — a trace
  18. clip — a video

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