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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — ground
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. current — happening now
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. current — of water
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rush — hurry
  13. field — for sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — a country
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. current — electric
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a leader
  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