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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. root — the cause
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chip — for betting
  10. scale — in music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ground — crushed
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. bat — the animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cell — in biology
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chip — to eat

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