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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — of a word
  6. pop — music
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — the cause
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — to be able to
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. can — a tin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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