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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. key — the most important part
  4. file — a tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. file — a document
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — a video
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mate — a friend
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — in music
  24. mark — a trace

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