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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. drill — the tool
  3. deal — to handle
  4. root — the cause
  5. cue — a hint
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pound — a weight
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cue — for pool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. root — of a plant
  18. sharp — clever
  19. root — of a word
  20. clip — a video
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pound — to hit hard

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