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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. file — a tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — a video
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cue — a hint
  12. key — the most important part
  13. swing — music
  14. file — a document
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cue — a signal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — for pool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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