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

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rock — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rest — a break
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. root — the cause
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — part of the body

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