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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mug — a face
  7. clip — to cut
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mug — to rob
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. race — humankind
  18. key — in music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. race — a contest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — the fish
  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