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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stock — goods
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. season — in sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — the season
  17. root — the cause
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. root — of a plant
  21. season — of the year
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. root — of a word

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