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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. root — the cause
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — for paper
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hand — help
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. last — to go on
  17. perch — the fish
  18. last — final
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. capital — a city
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. last — finally

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