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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. last — to go on
  3. capital — money
  4. rock — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rash — a series
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. last — final
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. root — the cause
  21. suit — clothes
  22. last — finally
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rock — a stone

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