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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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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: wound · ball · cue · clip · pop · key · net · cap

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cue — for pool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — a lid
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cap — a hat
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wound — an injury

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