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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. staff — employees
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — a stick
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. clip — for paper
  13. plane — a tool
  14. root — of a plant
  15. sharp — clever
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. root — the cause
  20. present — a gift
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. clip — a video
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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