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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 120 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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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: key · rash · clip · wind · coach · rock · mark · kid

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — music
  4. key — in music
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kid — to tease
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. clip — a video
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — for a lock
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rash — a series

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