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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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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 · racket · plane · march · shower · key · snap · stick

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — the most important part
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — a video
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. snap — to click
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. key — for a lock
  19. clip — to cut
  20. key — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — to wash
  24. plane — a tool

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