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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a word
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. root — the cause
  7. roll — a list
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wake — a trail
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. roll — a cake
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wave — of the sea

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