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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — the cause
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — of a word
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spell — magic
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pass — a permit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. spring — the season
  24. chair — a leader

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