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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 124 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — a list
  3. mug — a face
  4. root — of a plant
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. root — the cause
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cold — not warm
  17. root — of a word
  18. shower — rain
  19. chair — a leader
  20. roll — a cake
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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