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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. root — the cause
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. net — after costs
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — of a plant
  14. scale — size or range
  15. net — in sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chair — a leader
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cold — not warm
  21. root — of a word
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. net — for catching

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