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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitch — completely
  5. key — in music
  6. can — a tin
  7. row — a line
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. row — to paddle
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — the most important part
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — belonging to me

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