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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. land — to come down
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. squash — to crush
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — ground
  13. key — in music
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. land — a country
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — for paper

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