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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mug — to rob
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. root — of a word
  6. court — for sport
  7. mug — a cup
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — a video
  11. suit — to fit
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. pit — in a race
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rush — hurry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — clothes
  24. root — the cause

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