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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — in music
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. court — of law
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — a publisher
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. race — a contest

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