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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chair — a leader
  3. root — the cause
  4. kid — child
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. key — the most important part
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ball — a dance
  15. game — wild animals
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rest — a break
  21. game — a match
  22. root — of a word
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — in music

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