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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. clip — a video
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. key — in music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. capital — a city
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. clip — to cut
  20. capital — money
  21. clip — for paper
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lie — an untruth

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