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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — help
  6. rest — a break
  7. game — wild animals
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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