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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. clip — to cut
  3. key — for a lock
  4. track — a song
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rash — a series
  8. club — for golf
  9. track — to keep track
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. key — in music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cue — a hint
  19. clip — for paper
  20. club — a group
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. mate — to breed

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