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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. root — the cause
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — of water
  16. root — of a word
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rash — a series
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spring — a coil
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — the season

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