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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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Word bank
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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fall — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. root — the cause
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rock — to move gently

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