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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. key — in music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — to cut
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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