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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. root — of a word
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. root — the cause
  15. chair — a leader
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — magic
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to rest against

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