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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spring — of water
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — a coil
  9. present — the time now
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — the most important part
  14. present — a gift
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pass — to spend time

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