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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — letters
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chest — a box
  8. file — a document
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — finally
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — final
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — of a word
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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