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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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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chair — a leader
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. root — of a word
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. root — the cause
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — for a bird

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