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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kid — child
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. shower — rain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. root — of a word
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. kid — to tease
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — to wash
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chair — a leader

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