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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. root — of a word
  3. drill — the tool
  4. firm — decided
  5. ball — a great time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. firm — a company
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — in music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. root — the cause
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — for paper
  16. squash — the sport
  17. key — for a lock
  18. drill — a practice
  19. game — a match
  20. ball — a dance
  21. firm — steady
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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