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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. clip — a video
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. file — a document
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — wild animals
  9. root — of a word
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — a match
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rule — a law
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rule — government
  24. prune — to trim

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