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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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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — to come down
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. land — a country
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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