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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — a video
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. root — of a word
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bound — certain
  17. root — the cause
  18. present — there
  19. root — of a plant
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — tied together
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. bound — obliged

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