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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: racket · degree · vault · bat · key · face · clip · pitch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. key — for a lock
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. clip — to cut
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — temperature
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. face — part of the head
  17. degree — an amount
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bat — the animal
  24. degree — from a university

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