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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — to cut
  3. kick — in football
  4. root — of a word
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — the cause
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rest — what's left
  12. clip — for paper
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. staff — a stick
  18. root — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — a break

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