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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 116 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — of a word
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. root — the cause
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. dip — to sink
  11. swing — in golf
  12. root — of a plant
  13. spell — magic
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ground — a position
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chip — to eat
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — for betting
  24. swing — music

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