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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. clip — a video
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rest — a break
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. key — in music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. swing — in golf
  19. clip — to cut
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — music

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