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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — in music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — clever
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mug — a cup
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — to cut
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. charge — a price
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. key — for a lock
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. charge — in control

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