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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — a video
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. clip — for paper
  7. root — of a plant
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — the cause
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. face — to confront
  12. wind — moving air
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. key — in music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. root — of a word
  20. wind — moving air
  21. clip — to cut
  22. last — final
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bulb — for light

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