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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — a skill
  11. land — a country
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. craft — boats
  15. rash — a series
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a horse colour

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