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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — magic
  4. rule — government
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — letters
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. clip — a video
  18. rest — what's left
  19. root — of a word
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — the earth
  24. root — of a plant

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