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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spell — letters
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. toast — bread
  16. race — humankind
  17. root — of a word
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. root — the cause
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. race — a contest
  24. cue — a signal

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