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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. root — the cause
  3. file — a document
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a plant
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a tool
  8. kid — child
  9. land — to come down
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. land — a country
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. land — ground
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — of a word
  21. hand — help
  22. kid — to tease
  23. file — a line of people
  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