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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — completely
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. shower — to wash
  9. key — the most important part
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rock — music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. toast — bread
  15. rock — a stone
  16. drill — the tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. drill — a practice
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — for paper
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitch — a sports field

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