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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. key — in music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — a video
  6. kick — in football
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fine — all right
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pit — a hole
  12. track — a path
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. clip — for paper
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a song
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. clip — to cut

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