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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. key — in music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. bass — low music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. key — the most important part
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — the fish
  13. clip — a video
  14. key — for a lock
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — goods
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stock — shares
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cap — a lid
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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