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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — soda
  6. root — of a word
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pop — to visit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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