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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. key — in music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — of a king
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. net — in sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. object — to protest
  19. bank — for money
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bank — of a river

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