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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pit — a hole
  3. charge — a price
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bank — for money
  9. pit — in a race
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. clip — a video
  12. bank — for money
  13. craft — boats
  14. charge — electricity
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bank — of a river
  17. root — of a plant
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — music
  23. charge — in control
  24. craft — a skill

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