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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · straw · hand · mug · chair · root · capital · kick

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. root — of a word
  5. hand — help
  6. mug — a cup
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mug — a face
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — to rob
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — a tool
  24. kick — with a leg

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