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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a tool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. net — after costs
  15. root — of a word
  16. net — for catching
  17. root — the cause
  18. key — the most important part
  19. root — of a plant
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a document

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