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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — child
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. swing — in golf
  9. drill — army training
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — a practice
  12. swing — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rest — a break
  21. drill — the tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. clip — to cut
  24. swing — to play on

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