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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. root — of a word
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — a series
  8. root — the cause
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pit — in a race
  20. root — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. content — happy
  24. fan — a supporter

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