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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. last — to go on
  6. club — a group
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spell — magic
  11. last — final
  12. spell — a short time
  13. club — for golf
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — letters
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. clip — for paper
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — the tool

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