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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. key — for a lock
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chest — of your body
  11. charge — in control
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. charge — a price
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. saw — the tool

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