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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. clip — a video
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fall — the season
  6. charge — in control
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fine — all right
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — in music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — the tool
  15. charge — a price
  16. clip — for paper
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. shower — rain
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fine — high quality

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