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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. root — of a word
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rock — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rock — a stone
  17. root — the cause
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. scale — size or range

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