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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: root · chair · mate · fall · pit · scale · ground · mug

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — size or range
  5. root — of a word
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mug — a face
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ground — a position
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ground — crushed
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fall — the season
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. chair — to sit 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