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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. root — of a word
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mug — a face
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mug — to rob
  21. root — the cause
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chest — of your body

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