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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: perch · root · staff · last · racket · kick · clip · safe

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kick — in football
  3. clip — a video
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. staff — a stick
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — to cut
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a plant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — of a word
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — to go on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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