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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — to cut
  5. key — in music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitch — completely
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to click
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — for paper
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — to paddle
  17. key — for a lock
  18. staff — employees
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — a line
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pitch — a sports field

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