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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.

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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: wind · racket · rest · pop · ground · key · clip · firm

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pop — to visit
  4. firm — steady
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — a video
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. firm — a company
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pop — soda
  14. ground — a position
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — in music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — for a lock
  24. firm — decided

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