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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. drill — the tool
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. file — a document
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. clip — a video
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — a practice
  22. file — a tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. file — a line of people

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