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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chair — a leader
  9. root — the cause
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. staff — employees
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — to come from
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ball — a great time
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fall — the season
  23. root — of a word
  24. swing — music

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