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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: wake · chair · rock · root · bay · swing · rash · key

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — a series
  4. key — the most important part
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. root — of a word
  8. rock — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. swing — in golf
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — music
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. key — in music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. swing — to play 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