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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: wake · clip · net · track · key · sharp · suit · bore

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — clothes
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wake — a trail
  9. key — in music
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. suit — to fit
  13. track — a song
  14. bore — to tire
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — for a lock
  24. net — for catching

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