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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — a video
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mug — to rob
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. mug — a face

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