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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — a leader
  4. last — finally
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — to go on
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. swing — in golf
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. root — the cause
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — of a word
  22. last — final
  23. staff — a stick
  24. degree — an amount

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