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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. present — a gift
  3. date — the fruit
  4. swing — music
  5. key — in music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — a measure
  12. present — the time now
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. present — there
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. swing — in golf
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rock — a stone

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