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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pass — a permit
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. root — the cause
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. club — for dancing
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wake — a trail
  19. club — a group
  20. file — a tool
  21. root — of a word
  22. club — for golf
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pass — to succeed

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