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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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Word bank
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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: foot · hide · squash · chair · mine · sharp · root · ruler

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. root — of a word
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. foot — a measure
  9. root — the cause
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. sharp — clever
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. foot — part of the body

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