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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. net — for catching
  3. clip — a video
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — to cut
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. net — after costs
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. bound — certain
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — not warm
  16. foot — a measure
  17. net — in sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bound — obliged

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