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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. root — the cause
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. root — of a plant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — a video
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — the season
  18. root — of a word
  19. swing — music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a city
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — of water

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