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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. mark — a grade
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — finally
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. season — of the year
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ball — a dance
  9. last — to go on
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mark — a trace
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. root — of a word
  19. clip — a video
  20. season — in sport
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — final
  24. clip — to cut

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