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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.

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: chair · straw · mine · roll · root · row · charge · face

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. row — to paddle
  4. charge — in control
  5. chair — a leader
  6. root — of a word
  7. charge — a price
  8. row — a line
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. root — the cause
  12. mine — for digging
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. face — part of the head
  15. roll — a list
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. face — to confront
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — electricity
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. face — to point toward

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