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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. roll — a list
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pit — a hole
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. clip — a video
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. roll — a cake
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. clip — for paper
  18. root — the cause
  19. clip — to cut
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — of a word
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pit — in a race

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