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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. charge — in control
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cue — for pool
  5. charge — a price
  6. hand — help
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cue — a signal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. clip — a video
  16. key — in music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. charge — electricity
  19. scale — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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