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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · snap · key · prune · game · clip · nail · foot

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. clip — for paper
  3. snap — to click
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. clip — a video
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — to trim
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — to cut
  21. key — in music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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