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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ground — a position
  4. tear — to rip
  5. root — the cause
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. sharp — clever
  19. root — of a word
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — to sit on

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