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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. root — the cause
  6. scale — in music
  7. root — of a word
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. roll — a cake
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. clip — to cut
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. root — of a plant
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. dip — to sink
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. scale — size or range

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