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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. row — a line
  3. net — in sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. row — to paddle
  6. swing — music
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. clip — a video
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — to cut
  11. root — of a word
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — after costs
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pass — a permit
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. clip — for paper
  24. jam — in traffic

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