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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. key — for a lock
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — a price
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. track — a song
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — a tool
  21. charge — in control
  22. key — in music
  23. track — to keep track
  24. charge — electricity

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