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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
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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: race · last · clip · pit · key · bass · current · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — the most important part
  4. current — electric
  5. pit — a hole
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. current — of water
  8. pit — in a race
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. race — humankind
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. bass — low music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bass — the fish
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. clip — for paper

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