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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. clip — a video
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lean — to bend
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. firm — decided
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. firm — steady
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rest — a break
  22. firm — a company
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — for a hammer

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