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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — shares
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — the cause
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rock — music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tear — to rip
  15. root — of a word
  16. stock — goods
  17. mate — to breed
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — a match
  23. mate — a friend
  24. root — of a plant

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