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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pass — a permit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. snap — to click
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fork — in a road
  10. root — the cause
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. scale — size or range
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — a leader

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