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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spell — letters
  4. bound — certain
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. clip — a video
  7. march — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. land — a country
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — magic
  17. land — ground
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — for paper
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — to come down
  23. bound — tied together
  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