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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — to shout
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — of a plant
  23. swing — in golf
  24. prune — to trim

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