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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rest — what's left
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. key — in music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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