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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: root · suit · chair · last · squash · pit · wind · cold

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cold — not warm
  3. last — finally
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cold — an illness
  6. squash — the sport
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. root — of a word
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chair — a leader
  22. last — final
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — to go 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