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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — to cut
  4. current — of water
  5. clip — a video
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. clip — for paper
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — a match
  11. court — for sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mate — to breed
  14. court — of law
  15. bound — certain
  16. court — of a king
  17. root — the cause
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — electric
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. current — happening now
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mate — a friend

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