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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bat — the animal
  3. root — of a word
  4. chip — for betting
  5. file — a tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. file — a document
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. fine — all right
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bark — to shout
  19. root — the cause
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fine — high quality

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