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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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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: fine · clip · lie · pop · key · pitcher · court · leaves

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — all right
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — the most important part
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. court — of a king
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pop — soda
  17. key — in music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lie — to recline
  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