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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 116 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: tube · cue · root · present · hide · court · lean · chair

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. present — a gift
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of law
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — of a word
  15. present — there
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — of a king
  18. present — the time now
  19. tube — a container
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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