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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. root — of a word
  5. season — of the year
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cold — an illness
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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