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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. land — a country
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. land — to come down
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mark — a grade
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. land — ground
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wind — moving air
  21. root — of a word
  22. mark — a trace
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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