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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — a match
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. root — the cause
  14. bore — to drill
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. root — of a word
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. deal — to handle

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