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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — the most important part
  4. file — a line of people
  5. court — for sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a document
  8. court — of a king
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. club — for golf
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. court — of law
  19. bulb — for light
  20. club — a group
  21. staff — a stick
  22. club — for dancing
  23. key — in music
  24. clip — for paper

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