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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ball — a dance
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kick — in football
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. key — in music
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — a video
  15. perch — the fish
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. object — to protest
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a great time

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