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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. track — a path
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. key — for a lock
  9. track — a song
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — goods
  17. clip — a video
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — to rob
  24. clip — to cut

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