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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. clip — a video
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the fish
  10. key — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. key — the most important part
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mug — to rob
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mug — a face

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