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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — a series
  7. clip — a video
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — certain
  15. sharp — clever
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. key — in music

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