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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — a video
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — for paper
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — for sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. board — to get on
  14. face — to confront
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — the cause
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. court — of a king
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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