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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. key — in music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — a position
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — a city
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — an eyelash

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