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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. clip — a video
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bore — to drill
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mug — a face
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. key — in music
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — a cup

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