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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spring — the season
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. key — in music
  13. ground — a position
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — for a lock
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — of water
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — the most important part
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ground — crushed

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