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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ground — a position
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. scale — in music
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ground — the earth
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. scale — size or range

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