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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — a song
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. rule — government
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rule — a law
  16. net — for catching
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. hand — help
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — a path
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — part of the body

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