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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. key — in music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — a trail
  8. clip — to cut
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tear — to rip
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. row — to paddle
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. content — happy
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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