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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bat — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. root — of a word
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. degree — an amount
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. root — the cause
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mug — a face
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mug — a cup

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