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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. object — an aim
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — a match
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. object — to protest
  9. clip — for paper
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. row — a line
  19. bound — tied together
  20. object — a thing
  21. bound — certain
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bound — obliged
  24. clip — to cut

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