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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: wind · content · craft · root · key · ball · mate · chair

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — the cause
  10. ball — a great time
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ball — a dance
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. root — of a plant
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mate — a friend
  23. key — in music
  24. content — the amount

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