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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rule — government
  6. bark — to shout
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. capital — money
  12. rule — a law
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. season — in sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — help
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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