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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mate — to breed
  5. key — in music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — the amount
  9. tear — to rip
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tear — from crying
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — a partner
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. tear — from crying
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mate — a friend
  20. key — the most important part
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. leaves — to go away

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