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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — a series
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bark — to shout
  16. root — the cause
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. root — of a word
  21. drill — army training
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — a lid
  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