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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. root — the cause
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spring — of water
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — the season
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. root — of a word
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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