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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. root — the cause
  4. fall — the season
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. sharp — clever
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — a tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — a break

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