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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stock — shares
  6. root — of a word
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. root — the cause
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — child
  16. root — of a plant
  17. key — in music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hand — help
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. key — for a lock

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