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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. key — the most important part
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cap — a lid
  8. toast — bread
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — a video
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fall — the season
  24. spring — the season

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