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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — for a lock
  18. race — humankind
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spring — the season

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