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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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 — to cut
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. file — a document
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — a video
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. key — in music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. file — a tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. firm — a company
  24. march — music

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