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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chip — to eat
  3. root — the cause
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a lid
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — of a plant
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cap — of ice
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. root — of a word
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — to wash
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — the tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chip — for betting

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