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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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Word bank
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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fine — high quality
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — the most important part
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. present — there
  17. fine — all right
  18. season — in sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — a video
  21. key — in music
  22. present — a gift
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. roll — a cake

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