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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.

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: hide · rock · staff · net · key · bark · game · clip

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rock — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. net — for catching
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. game — wild animals
  14. clip — a video
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. key — in music
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — a match
  24. key — the most important part

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