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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. root — of a word
  3. kid — to tease
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. kid — child
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — to get on
  11. root — the cause
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wind — moving air

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