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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — for paper
  6. race — humankind
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. race — a contest
  10. bound — tied together
  11. root — the cause
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. race — the arms race
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. bound — certain
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mark — a grade
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — a trace
  24. coach — a trainer

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