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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · root · present · deal · chair · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. clip — a video
  4. present — there
  5. kid — child
  6. present — the time now
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kid — to tease
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. root — the cause
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. root — of a word

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