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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — in music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. spring — of water
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — the season
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bat — in an idiom

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