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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pit — a hole
  23. clip — a video
  24. game — a match

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