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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 116 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. firm — decided
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. root — the cause
  5. land — ground
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chair — a leader
  18. firm — a company
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — to come down

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