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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. root — the cause
  5. row — a line
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — help
  12. staff — employees
  13. chip — to eat
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — in cards
  17. track — a path
  18. root — of a word
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. clip — a video
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — to cut

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