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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — a video
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — electricity
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — to point toward
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. charge — a price
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. root — the cause
  16. charge — in control
  17. rush — hurry
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tube — a container

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