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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — a division
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rule — government
  8. content — happy
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. root — the cause
  13. chair — a leader
  14. content — the amount
  15. wind — moving air
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — to rule out

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