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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — of a word
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. clip — for paper
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rock — music
  15. charge — in control
  16. spell — letters
  17. root — the cause
  18. clip — a video
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — to cut
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bark — of a tree

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