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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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 — a leader
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. swing — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — an amount
  12. root — of a word
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. degree — from a university
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bound — obliged
  17. plane — a tool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. root — the cause
  21. bound — certain
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bound — tied together
  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