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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. root — the cause
  4. clip — for paper
  5. key — for a lock
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. charge — in control
  9. kick — in football
  10. track — a song
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. clip — a video
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. track — to keep track
  17. key — in music
  18. track — a path
  19. root — of a word
  20. vault — a safe
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — to cut
  24. root — of a plant

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