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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. land — a country
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. root — of a word
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — a trail
  20. root — the cause
  21. land — ground
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. root — of a plant

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