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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spring — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — music
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cap — of ice
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cap — a hat
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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