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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lie — to recline
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a document
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. race — humankind
  11. roll — a list
  12. file — a line of people
  13. toast — bread
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. file — a tool
  23. key — the most important part
  24. toast — the most admired

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