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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. spell — letters
  3. key — in music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wake — a trail
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. content — happy
  11. key — the most important part
  12. clip — a video
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bound — certain
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spell — a short time
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. vault — a safe
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spell — magic
  24. clip — for paper

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