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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — from crying
  11. clip — for paper
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — for a lock
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. clip — a video

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