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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — army training
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. craft — boats
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — a skill
  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