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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. craft — a skill
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. present — a gift
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. row — to paddle
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. clip — a video
  11. key — in music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. clip — for paper
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bore — to drill
  19. present — there
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. row — a line
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. craft — boats
  24. present — the time now

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