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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. last — final
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — finally
  8. scale — size or range
  9. root — of a word
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. scale — in music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rule — a law
  17. clip — a video
  18. rule — government
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. root — the cause
  24. last — to go on

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