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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. clip — a video
  3. root — of a word
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. root — the cause
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. charge — in control
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mate — a partner
  16. charge — a price
  17. clip — to cut
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. root — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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