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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. root — of a plant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. object — a thing
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mark — a trace
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. root — of a word
  15. object — an aim
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — to cut
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. object — to protest
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mark — a grade

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