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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: cue · key · pop · tear · clip · bulb · club · march

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — soda
  5. club — a group
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — a video
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — a hint
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cue — for pool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — for golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. clip — to cut
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — for dancing
  23. key — in music
  24. march — music

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