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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. root — the cause
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. root — of a word
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. chair — a professorship

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