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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. root — of a plant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. wake — a trail
  12. charge — in control
  13. root — of a word
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. root — the cause
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chair — a leader
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. coach — a trainer

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