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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. foot — a measure
  3. root — the cause
  4. craft — boats
  5. bore — to tire
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. clip — to cut
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. charge — in control
  11. bore — to drill
  12. season — of the year
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. root — of a plant
  15. clip — a video
  16. season — in sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. craft — a skill
  22. charge — electricity
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. charge — a price

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