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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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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: march · root · chest · snap · mug · last · rock · chair

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. root — of a word
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mug — a face
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. last — final
  17. root — the cause
  18. rock — a stone
  19. snap — to click
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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