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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 124 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hand — help
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. shower — rain
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a word
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stem — to come from
  21. root — the cause
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a plant

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