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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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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. root — of a word
  3. chair — a leader
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. firm — decided
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. root — of a plant
  8. shower — to wash
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. firm — a company
  12. race — humankind
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a line
  15. root — the cause
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pit — a hole
  21. race — a contest
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. row — a quarrel

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