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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — for paper
  4. suit — clothes
  5. clip — to cut
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. suit — in cards
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. scale — in music
  18. capital — money
  19. rule — government
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. suit — to fit
  24. clip — a video

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