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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rush — hurry
  6. key — for a lock
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — a video
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — in music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — to be able to
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. leaves — lets stay

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