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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chair — a leader
  4. press — to push
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hand — help
  7. press — a publisher
  8. root — the cause
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — in football
  12. root — of a word
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — a position
  16. root — of a plant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. ground — crushed
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chair — to sit on

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