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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. clip — a video
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — in music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chip — to eat
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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