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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. snap — to click
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — the most important part
  15. object — to protest
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. capital — money
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. object — an aim
  24. pound — a weight

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