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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. object — to protest
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ground — the earth
  5. key — in music
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rest — a break
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. key — the most important part
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. chair — a leader
  15. clip — a video
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — shares
  19. object — an aim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. object — a thing

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