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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a line of people
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chest — a box
  18. key — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. file — a document
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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