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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. board — to get on
  3. march — music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — clever
  7. key — in music
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — a video
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. clip — for paper
  24. march — the month

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