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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. last — final
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rest — what's left
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — a break
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. last — finally
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bat — the animal

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