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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — a break
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rest — what's left
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. key — for a lock
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. key — in music
  17. clip — a video
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. land — a country
  22. clip — to cut
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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