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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. net — for catching
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. root — of a word
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — after costs
  11. lean — to bend
  12. root — of a plant
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. board — a committee
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rash — a series
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. net — in sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — hasty

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