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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 116 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. scale — size or range
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — in control
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cell — in biology
  9. charge — electricity
  10. root — of a word
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — a leader
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. root — the cause
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. snap — to click
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. scale — in music
  24. charge — a price

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