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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lie — to recline
  3. key — in music
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — a video
  8. mug — to rob
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — the most important part
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. foot — a measure
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. content — the amount
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. content — happy
  24. straw — a straw man

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