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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — the cause
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. clip — to cut
  6. root — of a word
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — a video
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — goods
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — in cards
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. vault — a safe

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