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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a path
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. root — the cause
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a song
  10. root — of a word
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fine — all right
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — a leader
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fall — the season
  24. root — of a plant

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