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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — of a plant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. root — the cause
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — final
  13. degree — temperature
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. content — the amount
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — an amount
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — of a word
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ruler — for measuring

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