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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. mate — a partner
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chair — a leader
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — not warm
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — a friend
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. land — to come down
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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