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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — a video
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — for a lock
  8. content — happy
  9. can — a tin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. key — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cap — of ice
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ball — a great time
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — for paper

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