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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. last — final
  5. root — of a plant
  6. clip — a video
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — in football
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — finally
  12. fine — high quality
  13. root — the cause
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — of a word
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — to go on
  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