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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fine — high quality
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — for a lock
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — for pool
  8. charge — in control
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — the most important part
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. court — for sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — to cut
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. key — in music
  23. court — of law
  24. clip — a video

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