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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — for sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. root — the cause

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