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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mate — a partner
  5. root — of a word
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. deal — to handle
  10. root — the cause
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. board — to get on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cold — not warm
  18. board — a committee
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cue — a signal

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