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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. root — of a plant
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. firm — a company
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — of a word
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. firm — steady
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. firm — decided
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. deal — to handle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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