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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · shower · last · row · key · clip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — a video
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — finally
  8. clip — for paper
  9. last — to go on
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — in music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. key — for a lock
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — final
  17. kick — in football
  18. shower — to wash

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