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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chair — a leader
  3. file — a tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. swing — in golf
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. suit — in cards
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. season — of the year
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — in sport
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. root — of a word
  17. suit — to fit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a line of people
  24. root — of a plant

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