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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: chair · ball · bore · staff · temple · suit · cold · root

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cold — an illness
  11. suit — to fit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. suit — in cards
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bore — to tire
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. bore — to drill

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