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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. content — happy
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cue — a signal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cue — a hint
  19. root — of a word
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. shower — rain
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — the amount
  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