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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kick — in football
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. root — of a plant
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. root — the cause
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a word
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — for digging

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