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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. key — in music
  7. club — a group
  8. last — final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — for golf
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. saw — the tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — for dancing
  19. key — for a lock
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitcher — a jug

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