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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — for paper
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. key — for a lock
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. drill — a practice
  11. key — in music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. drill — army training
  17. stand — to bear
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. drill — the tool
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — in football
  24. stand — on your feet

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