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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — to be able to
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. row — a line
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. root — the cause
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — hurry
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. staff — a stick
  24. nail — for a hammer

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