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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. root — the cause
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. root — of a word
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. root — of a plant
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — a box
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — a video
  17. chest — of your body
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chest — of your body

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