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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 124 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. root — the cause
  4. club — for golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stock — shares
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — goods
  14. root — of a word
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — to come from
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fan — a supporter

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