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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tear — to rip
  3. last — finally
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — steady
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — child
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. firm — decided
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. root — the cause
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. last — final
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. last — to go on
  24. game — a match

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