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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — of a king
  6. clip — for paper
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — a video
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. land — a country
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. land — ground
  13. clip — to cut
  14. court — for sport
  15. ground — the earth
  16. key — in music
  17. land — to come down
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rock — music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — of law
  24. scale — size or range

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