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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — steady
  3. hand — in cards
  4. root — the cause
  5. chair — a leader
  6. root — of a word
  7. firm — a company
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. firm — decided
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — hurry
  24. root — of a plant

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