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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 120 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. root — of a word
  5. cue — for pool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — a leader
  10. root — the cause
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — to recline
  16. dip — to sink
  17. land — a country
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. board — to get on
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — dry grass

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