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

Word bank: object · key · rest · face · clip · present · root · bay

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. root — of a word
  4. key — in music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. face — to confront
  7. rest — a break
  8. object — to protest
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. root — of a plant
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. rest — what's left
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. key — the most important part
  22. root — the cause
  23. key — for a lock
  24. present — there

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