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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tear — to rip
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — a trace
  7. root — the cause
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spring — of water
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. swing — to play on
  13. root — of a word
  14. swing — music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. club — for golf
  22. swing — in golf
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mark — a grade

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