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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. key — in music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. key — the most important part
  15. clip — a video
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chip — to eat

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