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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. key — for a lock
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pass — a permit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. object — a thing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — a video
  10. object — an aim
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. object — to protest
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — to sink
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — in 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