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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.

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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. object — an aim
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. object — to protest
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rash — a series
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. object — a thing
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fine — all right
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — certain

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