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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kid — child
  4. root — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chip — for betting
  7. root — the cause
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. root — of a word
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. kid — to tease
  18. drill — a practice
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. drill — army training
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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