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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — to cut
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. chair — a leader
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — in music
  24. rush — hurry

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