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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. staff — employees
  4. root — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — a video
  10. object — a thing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — a stick
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. object — to protest
  19. drill — a practice
  20. object — an aim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. root — the cause

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