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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. chip — to eat
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pass — a permit
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. drill — army training
  14. chip — for betting
  15. drill — the tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. cold — an illness
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. club — a group
  22. cold — not warm
  23. calf — a young animal
  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