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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: straw · fine · court · saw · chair · kick · pass · root

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. court — of a king
  6. root — of a word
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kick — in football
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. court — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fine — all right
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. court — of law
  24. root — the cause

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