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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: pitcher · wind · clip · bulb · object · cue · key · court

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. object — an aim
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. object — a thing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of law
  12. object — to protest
  13. court — of a king
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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