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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. court — of a king
  5. mark — a trace
  6. key — the most important part
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. key — in music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — a stick
  13. craft — boats
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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