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

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cue — a hint
  5. root — of a word
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — for pool
  13. row — a line
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. root — the cause
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cue — a signal
  18. game — a match

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