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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: chest · date · chair · sharp · degree · last · root · bay

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — a box
  8. last — final
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chair — a leader
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. degree — from a university
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — of a word
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. last — finally

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