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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. root — of a plant
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chip — to eat
  11. land — to come down
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — low music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. root — of a word
  16. bound — obliged
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — the cause
  23. land — a country
  24. mine — for digging

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