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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — a video
  5. root — of a plant
  6. board — a committee
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — to cut
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — a path
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fine — high quality
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — to tease
  20. root — the cause
  21. pit — a hole
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. track — a song

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