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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. clip — to cut
  3. ground — the earth
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — in music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. clip — a video
  9. swing — music
  10. track — to keep track
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ground — a position
  13. degree — temperature
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. degree — from a university
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — magic
  24. degree — an amount

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