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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. clip — for paper
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitcher — a jug

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