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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. roll — a list
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chip — for betting
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bore — to drill
  16. root — the cause
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — a match
  21. chest — a box
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. bore — to tire

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