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

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — a match
  3. shower — rain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chip — to eat
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — to wash
  19. club — for golf
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. saw — the tool

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