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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. band — a music group
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. land — ground
  12. root — the cause
  13. pass — a permit
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chair — a leader
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. land — a country
  24. root — of a word

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