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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pop — to visit
  5. root — of a word
  6. chair — a leader
  7. root — the cause
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. race — the arms race
  12. toast — bread
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fine — high quality
  24. root — of a plant

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