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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. content — happy
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. clip — to cut
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. root — the cause
  15. shower — to wash
  16. clip — a video
  17. pass — a permit
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. shower — rain
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to click
  24. content — videos and posts

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