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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. file — a document
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — a video
  6. pit — a hole
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — to cut
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ground — the earth
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a word
  17. file — a line of people
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. file — a tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — of a plant
  24. squash — the sport

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