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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. field — a subject
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — in music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. clip — to cut
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — music
  18. mark — a trace
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. capital — money
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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