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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 116 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: plane · pitcher · clip · present · chair · track · key · last

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. clip — for paper
  3. last — finally
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. present — the time now
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. present — there
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — to keep track
  15. plane — a tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. last — final
  19. track — a song
  20. clip — to cut
  21. track — a path
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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