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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. clip — for paper
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cell — a phone
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. clip — a video
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. suit — to fit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. suit — clothes

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