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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hand — in cards
  3. present — there
  4. content — the amount
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — help
  11. root — of a word
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — the time now
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fall — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — a video
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. present — a gift
  24. content — happy

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