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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. key — in music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — boats
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bound — certain
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mate — to breed
  22. key — for a lock
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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