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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bear — the animal
  4. firm — a company
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. firm — steady
  16. stock — goods
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. saw — the tool
  20. firm — decided
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stock — shares
  24. chair — a professorship

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