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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. track — to keep track
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. key — in music
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. degree — an amount
  14. track — a path
  15. key — for a lock
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. clip — to cut
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — the fish
  23. key — the most important part
  24. degree — from a university

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