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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. root — the cause
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. clip — a video
  8. root — of a word
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — a break
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — to cut
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — a match
  24. lean — to rest against

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