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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: clip · key · ball · cap · firm · game · nail · spell

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cap — of ice
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — letters
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. key — in music
  14. ball — a great time
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. game — a match
  17. firm — decided
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spell — a short time
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. game — wild animals
  23. key — the most important part
  24. firm — a company

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