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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. can — a tin
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — to cut
  14. can — to be able to
  15. key — in music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bark — to shout
  18. toast — bread
  19. clip — a video
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. key — for a lock
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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