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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kid — child
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. root — of a word
  6. march — the month
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — in music
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fall — to drop
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — the season
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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