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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. root — the cause
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. staff — employees
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. ground — a position
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wind — moving air
  23. roll — a cake
  24. clip — for paper

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