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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. key — the most important part
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — to go on
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — army training
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. drill — the tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. last — finally
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. key — for a lock

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