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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · straw · chair · kick · nail · root

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. root — the cause
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rule — a law
  12. kick — in football
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rule — government
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. straw — a straw man

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