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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. court — for sport
  5. object — an aim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. object — to protest
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. object — a thing
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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