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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 120 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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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: cue · spring · foot · bat · root · chair · pound · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — the cause
  4. cue — a signal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spring — a coil
  8. present — a gift
  9. root — of a word
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pound — a weight
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. present — the time now
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — the animal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — of water
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bat — in an idiom

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