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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · pit · staff · spell · foot · clip · perch · key

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — letters
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spell — magic
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. key — the most important part
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. pit — in a race
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. foot — a measure
  21. spell — a short time
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. clip — to cut
  24. foot — part of the body

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