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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. key — the most important part
  3. game — a match
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mark — a trace
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pop — music
  10. key — in music
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mark — a grade
  18. clip — a video
  19. key — for a lock
  20. game — wild animals
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pop — to visit
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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