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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: bore · clip · net · bark · key · rule · club · cabinet

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rule — government
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rule — a law
  12. net — after costs
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. clip — for paper
  15. club — for golf
  16. bore — to tire
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. club — a group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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