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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rule — government
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a list
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rule — a law
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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