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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — for betting
  6. root — the cause
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. date — the fruit
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pit — in a race
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — the fish
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — newspapers
  23. clip — for paper
  24. root — of a word

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