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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. net — in sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — a contest
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. net — after costs
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mark — a grade
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mark — a trace
  19. root — the cause
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a word
  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