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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. clip — for paper
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — to sink
  9. root — of a plant
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — of a word
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — the tool

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