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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 116 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: chair · root · content · object · lie · cell · key · pound

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chair — a leader
  4. root — of a plant
  5. object — an aim
  6. root — of a word
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — in biology
  9. object — a thing
  10. key — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. content — the amount
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. root — the cause
  18. object — to protest
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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