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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mug — a cup
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. mine — for digging
  8. season — in sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. root — of a word
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a plant
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mug — a face
  17. chip — to eat
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. root — the cause

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