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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bore — to tire
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — a video
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. net — for catching
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bore — to drill

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