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

Word bank: rule · chair · dip · key · tear · root

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rule — a law
  9. root — of a word
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rule — government
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. dip — to dunk

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