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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a dance
  13. club — for dancing
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. root — the cause
  21. club — a group
  22. root — of a word
  23. club — for golf
  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