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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. key — in music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — a video
  5. capital — a city
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rush — hurry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. degree — from a university
  21. capital — money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fine — all right

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