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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 rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. root — the cause
  3. land — ground
  4. lean — thin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. club — a group
  12. root — of a word
  13. land — a country
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. field — a subject
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rule — a law
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — for sport
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. field — farmland

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