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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ball — a dance
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lie — to recline
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stock — shares
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. root — of a word
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a round shape

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