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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — money
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. key — for a lock
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mate — a partner
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. key — in music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rash — a series

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