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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — a video
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — rain
  8. key — in music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. firm — a company
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — to cut
  15. firm — decided
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rest — a break
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. key — for a lock
  24. firm — steady

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