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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. last — to go on
  4. clip — a video
  5. craft — boats
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. rush — hurry
  16. clip — for paper
  17. last — final
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. key — for a lock
  20. last — finally
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spell — magic
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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