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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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468
Word bank
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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. swing — in golf
  6. file — a tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — a city
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rest — a break
  16. swing — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — money
  23. root — of a word
  24. chair — a professorship

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