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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. suit — clothes
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. suit — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. clip — to cut
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — of law
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — a video
  19. key — in music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. court — for sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. saw — the tool

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