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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. root — the cause
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — for sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. root — of a plant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. court — of law
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. root — of a word
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — a series

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