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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kick — in football
  8. root — the cause
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mate — a friend
  12. clip — a video
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. root — of a word
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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