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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. root — the cause
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a word
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — a video
  9. last — final
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — finally
  13. race — humankind
  14. rest — what's left
  15. root — of a plant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — a contest
  20. kick — in football
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — to cut
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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