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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. degree — from a university
  5. present — a gift
  6. field — farmland
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. present — the time now
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — there
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. field — a subject
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rush — a thrill

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