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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — in music
  3. file — a document
  4. shower — rain
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — for paper
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stem — to come from
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. clip — a video
  24. shower — to wash

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