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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. root — of a word
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pop — soda
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pop — music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. root — the cause
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — a video
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cabinet — ministers

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