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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bank — for money
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. content — the amount
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. key — for a lock
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bank — for money
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitch — completely
  23. clip — for paper
  24. content — happy

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