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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.

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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — boats
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — for paper
  5. key — in music
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — for a lock
  8. clip — to cut
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rash — hasty
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. foot — a measure
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. last — final
  24. rash — on the skin

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