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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. track — to keep track
  9. band — a ring
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — the fish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — low music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. root — of a plant
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. nail — for a hammer

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