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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. track — a path
  3. key — the most important part
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. object — an aim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — a law
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rule — government
  16. clip — a video
  17. key — in music
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. degree — from a university
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lash — an eyelash

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